Elastocapillarity in Dock Beetle Adhesion

Miniaturization is currently limited by our ability to manipulate micrometer-sized objects. Insect adhesion is an advantageous bio-inspired solution to this problem, although it is not fully understood yet. Interference Reflection Microscopy images of the beetle Gastrophysa Viridula adhesive structures in contact with a smooth substrate were analyzed. The results were cross-linked with an analytical model of an elastic beam deflected by a liquid meniscus. By fitting the unknown model parameters to the experimental data, we obtained information about the elastic properties of the structures, the liquid volume in the bridge, and the resulting adhesion levels.